Policy Tool
In February and March 2020, as COVID-19 spread throughout the United States, NJDC recognized a crisis facing youth involved in the juvenile courts and the attorneys tasked with defending them. The contagious nature of COVID-19 and the public health protocols meant to mitigate transmission heightened risks to the health and wellbeing of youth entering the…
Referring young people to the legal system can negatively impact their life outcomes as it excludes them from school, disconnecting them from learning and engaging in prosocial activities. There may be times when schools need to seek assistance from law enforcement, but for the vast majority of situations, a variety of levers exist outside of…
Numerous myths and misconceptions exist about involvement with the juvenile legal system and the effects it can have on a young person’s trajectory to success. Many people have misconceptions about the mostly unrealized benefits of juvenile court, thinking juvenile court is a benevolent system of support that does not lead to longterm negative outcomes. The…
To promote justice for all children, the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) must actively work to counteract the deeply rooted systemic biases that disproportionately impact Black, Latinx, Asian, Native, Indigenous, and all youth who experience disparate treatment because of their race or ethnicity at every stage of the juvenile legal system.
National Juvenile Defender Center Statement on Recent Deaths of Black Americans & Need to Dismantle Systemic Racism release on May 29, 2020
A fact sheet highlighting the need for young people to have counsel during interrogation.
National Juvenile Defender Center Statement on COVID-19 Pandemic & Urgent Need for Juvenile Legal System to Act, issued on April 2, 2020.
